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2009 William Jewell College Fall Sports Recap
By Paul Worstell
Director of Sports Media/Broadcasting
Football
Under the direction of fifth-year coach Fran Schwenk, the football team finished 1-9 overall and finished in tenth place in the Heart of America Athletic Conference standings.
Eleven members of the 2009 William Jewell Football team were named to the Heart of America All-Conference teams. Running back Jake Lynch was named to the All-Conference third team. Wide Receivers Daniel Johnson and Taylor Gallagher, tight end Caleb Noland, offensive linemen Drew White and Chris Steinrauf, defensive lineman Mark Gerster, linebackers Zach Traphagen and David Diener, defensive back Ryan Florence and kick returner Adam McBride were named as All-Conference honorable mention selections.
Also, four William Jewell College football players earned Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athletes status from the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. Players honored are juniors Phil Scanlon and Andrew Clarke and seniors Ryan Florence and Anthony White. In order to earn Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete status, a player must be a junior or above in academic standing, be in attendance at their nominating institution for one full year, and have a Grade Point Average of at least 3.50 (on a 4.00 scale) for the current academic year.
Jerod Kruse, defensive coordinator for the William Jewell College football Cardinals, was named the new head football coach at William Jewell in December. Kruse recently completed his second season as defensive coordinator at Jewell. In his first season with the Cardinals the defense finished fifth in the country and first in the Heart of America Athletic Conference in opponents’ 3rd-down conversions, first in the HAAC in opponents’ pass completion percentage, and second in the conference in total defense.
During the past two summers, Kruse worked with the New Orleans Saints under the leadership of defensive coordinator Gregg Williams. “Jerod impressed everyone in our Saints organization with his passion to learn and grow as a coach,” Williams said. “I think Jerod will do a great job representing the Cardinal football program. He is a tireless worker to improve his own abilities and all of those around him. Parents will feel very comfortable allowing their sons to play in his program. We are all very happy for him and happy for William Jewell to recognize his abilities.”
Prior to coming to Jewell, Kruse spent one season as the defensive secondary coordinator at Baker University, where he helped the Wildcats move from #8 in 2006 to a #3 ranking in 2007 in total pass defense in the HAAC. Before going to Baker, Kruse served five seasons as the secondary coordinator for Emporia State University, an NCAA Division II institution. In his time at ESU he coached one first team All-American, one first team Academic All-American, and five first team All-Conference performers.
“We are pleased to have a coach of Jerod’s caliber associated with the Cardinal football program,” said Dr. David Sallee, president of William Jewell College. “I am confident that he will provide outstanding leadership on the field and will be a positive role model for our student-athletes.”
A native of Marysville, Kan., Kruse earned his bachelor’s degree in social science from Emporia State University in 2000. He went on to earn his master’s of science degree in health and physical education from Emporia State in 2007. He is married to Kristin Kruse, an OBGYN at the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City, Kan., and they have an 18-month-old son, Cameron. Kruse played football at Emporia State, where he was named Special Teams Player of the Year during his junior year and Most Inspirational Player during his senior year. While at ESU, Kruse was part of a team that won a share of the 2003 Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association’s conference championship.
“Jerod is a great man and a very good football coach,” said Jerry Kill, Kruse’s football coach at ESU and now head football coach at Northern Illinois University. “He is way ahead of his time in our profession.”
According to Dr. Darlene Bailey, director of athletics at William Jewell: “Jerod brings solid football experience to the head coaching position at a pivotal time in the development of our program. His coaching abilities, along with his highly developed interpersonal skills, make him an ideal choice for this leadership position at Jewell.”
William Jewell College has been invited to join the Great Lakes Valley Conference of the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s Division II. The Cardinals will begin conference competition in football in 2012.
William Jewell was a charter member of the Heart of America Athletic Conference (HAAC) and has been competing in this NAIA conference since 1971. The Cardinals have captured 96 conference titles in the HAAC and were the first NAIA program to claim 500 football victories.
The Cardinals’ head football coach Fran Schwenk announced his retirement in October following a 40-year career in coaching.
Volleyball
Led by head coach Allison Jones, the volleyball team finished 10-24 overall, and finished sixth in the HAAC standings.
At the conclusion of the season, outside hitter Hannah Herndon was named to the Heart of America All-Conference first team. Libero Shelly Hendrix was named to the All-Conference second team. Setter Gillian Gauss and middle hitter Morgan Sleeper were named to the All-Conference honorable mention team.
Men’s Tennis
The men’s tennis team was led by fifth-year head coach Paul Worstell this fall and played in two tournaments and four dual matches.
In dual action the Cardinals finished the fall season 4-0 with wins over Central College, Simpson College, Wartburg and Baker University. The Cardinals lost an exhibition match to Johnson County Community College 5-4.
At the Fall Regional Intercollegiate Tennis Association tournament, the men faced some tough competition. Senior Cody Plfugradt advanced to the semi-finals in singles before losing to Matt Waite from Graceland. Pflugradt and junior Kyle Taylor also advanced to the semifinals in doubles but lost a competitive match to a doubles team from Graceland University 8-5.
At the conclusion of the fall season, Pflugradt was ranked #49 in the nation by the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. Pflugradt finished the fall season 3-0 and advanced to the semi-finals of the 2009 International Tennis Association Central West Regional Tournament.
In addition, Pflugradt and his partner Junior Kyle Taylor are the #6 ranked doubles team in the NAIA Central Region. The men begin their spring season against Doane College February 19 in Lincoln, Neb.
Women’s Tennis
The women’s tennis team also competed in two tournaments and four duals. The women finished the dual season at 3-1 with wins over Central College, Simpson College and Baker University. The one loss of the fall came at the hands of Wartburg College 6-3. The women also beat Johnson Country Community College in an exhibition match 7-2.
The Jewell women’s doubles team of junior Nikki Chambers and sophomore Tanya Ratana won the Small College Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s Regional Championship. The three-day tournament was held September 25-27 at The Plaza Tennis Center in Kansas City, Mo. Chambers and Ratana defeated Carolina Verdezoto and Valeria Avina from Graceland University 8-3 in the finals. Chambers and Ratana were the number-one seeds of the tournament. The win sent the Jewell doubles duo to the National Competition October 14-18 in Mobile, Ala. This marked the third consecutive year that Chambers qualified in doubles and the second year for Ratana. In singles action, Chambers, and Ratana advanced to the semi-finals. Chambers advanced to the finals and lost to Elanqua Griffin of Missouri Valley College.
After their eighth-place finish at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association National Tournament, the William Jewell College doubles team of Chambers and Ratana is currently ranked #18 in the nation in the latest ITA National Poll for the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. In addition, Chambers and senior Sydnee Mela were nationally ranked in singles. Chambers, 6-1 in singles play this fall, was ranked 35th in the nation while occupying the number-one singles slot for the Cardinals. Mela, Jewell’s number-two singles player, finished the fall season at 7-1 and lost in the singles final of the ITA Central Regional Championships. The Cardinals will open the spring portion of their season on February 12 against Doane College in Lincoln, Neb.
Women’s Soccer
The William Jewell College women’s soccer season saw the Cardinals finish 12-6-1, good for a fourth-place finish in the HAAC Standings.
The team placed eight players on the Heart of America Athletic Conference All-Conference teams. Defender Theresa Noll and midfielder Danielle Doerfler were named to the HAAC All-Conference first team. Midfielder Sali Stout, defender Sarah Williams, forward Annie Shepard and goal keeper Rebecca Ewing were named to the All-Conference second team. Defender Abby Hauver and forward Nicole Littell were named to the All-Conference third team.
Noll was also named a NAIA All-American for women’s soccer. Noll was named to the All-American Honorable Mention squad for the 2009 season. Noll finished the season with 9 goals and 5 assists in 19 total games for the Cardinals in 2009.
“This is a great honor for Theresa and our program,” said head coach Chris Cissell. “We will really miss Theresa’s leadership on the field next season and I am very proud of the hard work and effort she put forth in our program the last four years.”
The team excelled in the classroom as well, with four Cardinals being named to the NAIA Academic All-American team. Players honored from the women’s team are juniors Danielle Doerfler, Sarah Williams, Jamie Skahan and Abby Hauver
Men’s Soccer
The Men’s team finished the fall season 12-6, good for a third-place finish in the HAAC.
At the conclusion of their season, the Cardinals placed seven players on the Heart of America Athletic Conference All-Conference teams. Midfielder Manny Tovar and forward Brett Lewis was named to the Heart of America All-Conference first team. Defender Micah Holdaway and forward Troy Green were named to the All-Conference second team. Defender Marcus Mallams and forwards Matt Happy and Michael Brown were named to the All-Conference third team.
Off the field, four men’s soccer players earned Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athletes status from the NAIA. Players honored were juniors Kyle Heiman, and A.J. Shinabargar and senior Josh Ehrhard.
Cross Country
The Cross Country teams completed one of their most successful seasons in recent history. First-year runner Jessica Connery qualified for the 2009 NAIA Cross Country National Championships. To qualify, Connery had to finish as one of the top-five individuals not on the first-place finishing team at the conference meet. Connery placed third overall in the Heart of America Athletic Conference meet held November 7 at Stocksdale Park in Liberty, Mo. She advanced to the 2009 NAIA Men’s and Women’s Cross Country National Championships November 21 at the Fort Vancouver Historical Site in Vancouver, Wash. This marks the first time in more than eight years that a William Jewell women’s cross country runner has qualified for national competition. Off the course, junior Stacy Reichel and senior Michael O’Bryan were selected as NAIA Academic All-Americans.
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